Putin to meet China's top diplomat in Moscow

[February 22, 2023]  By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet China's top diplomat in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, after the United States warned Beijing against providing material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Chinese weapons supplies to Russia would risk a potential escalation of the Ukraine war into a confrontation between Russia and China on the one side and Ukraine and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance on the other.

"Putin will receive Wang Yi," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Wang earlier met Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, saying that he looked forward to clinching new agreements during his visit to Moscow. There were no details on the agreements.

When Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met face to face just before Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the two leaders sealed a "no limits" partnership between China and Russia that triggered anxiety in the West.

Asked about a Wall Street Journal report that Xi was preparing to visit Moscow, the Kremlin said that when the timing became clearer, an announcement would be made.

'HONEST DIALOGUE'

"The leaders of Russia and China maintain an honest dialogue," Peskov said. "In general, we value and maintain our relations of advanced strategic partnership, which imply regular communication between the heads of state.

"As the outlines of the next contacts and their timing become clearer between us, we will inform you," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday warned Wang of consequences should China provide material support to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying in an interview after the two men met that Washington was concerned Beijing was considering supplying weapons to Moscow.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and China's Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow, Russia February 22, 2023. Alexander Nemenov/Pool via REUTERS

Beijing has denied providing military support to Moscow.

Asked about the issue of Chinese help, Peskov said: "I don't think I can give a more colourful answer on this topic than the Chinese representatives have already done."

"They have already answered this question, they have, in fact, strongly denied it. There is nothing to add here."

After Blinken's claims, for which he did not supply evidence, China said the United States was in no position to make demands.

"No matter how the international situation changes, China has been and remains committed, together with Russia, to make efforts to preserve the positive trend in the development of relations between major powers," Wang told Lavrov.

Wang said he would work to "strengthen and deepen" relations between Moscow and Beijing. He provided no specific details on what agreements might be reached during his visit.

Xi has stood by Putin during the conflict in Ukraine, resisting Western pressure to isolate Moscow. Chinese-Russian trade has soared since the invasion of Ukraine, and Russia has sold Asian powers including China greater volumes of oil.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Gareth Jones)

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